Farewell to Jane Goldsmith. I have always enjoyed her news presentation. A very clear speaker and easy to understand. I wish you and your family all the best for your future.
I'm sitting here watching the 'Beanie for Brain Cancer' weekend in the NRL. Wouldn't it be great, in one of the wealthiest countries on the planet, if this charity wasn't needed because our governments covered the total cost of research for all Australians - and for all cancers. How would the government pay for it? Redirect funds from elsewhere. I'd rather see the government implement a 'Beanies for AUKUS' charity and instead spend taxpayer dollars on the real stuff Australians need.
So Pauline Hanson is using Gina Rinehart as a political adviser? What does this tell us? Danger. I believe all the evidence supports the fact that Ms Hanson does not care about average Australians. She prefers to rub shoulders with billionaires such as Ms Rinehart, Mr Trump and Elon Musk.
If Pauline Hanson's National Press Club address and Angus Taylor's recent comments are not a wake-up call to defend what it means to be Australian, I don't know what is. US president Franklin D. Roosevelt famously said in 1937 that "the test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." The Coalition and One Nation should heed this advice in an Australian context.
It is always with great interest that I read Bradley Perrett's opinion pieces, finding them insightful and thought-provoking. One of his recent offerings ("Like prawns in the sun, this stinks", Opinion 12/6), was no exception to that rule.
With the new Sydney Fish Market costing $836 million, I was keen to look online at the facility. The website stated world-class design and architecture. The market's waved roof and fishscale relief patterns are not only practical but aesthetically pleasing, apparently posing "a bold architectural statement making it a standout on the Sydney skyline" and adding to "stunning public domains".
I reflected on the plans for Newcastle Quay and wondered about the earnings from the coal mined in our Hunter Valley and shipped through the Port of Newcastle. In 2025, the coal tonnage through the Port of Newcastle was 149.1 million tonnes. Surely a very small portion of these earnings from coal could buy Newcastle some world-class design and architecture that would stand out on the Newcastle skyline around our harbour at Newcastle Quay and the Queen's Wharf redevelopment.
For some time now I have written about the importance of local media. Along with many other contributors to this forum, I sympathise with all staff associated with the production of local news on NBN.
The actions taken by WIN are indeed a kick in the guts, in my opinion, to all employees, and indeed the local community.
I wish all those affected by this shocking move well for the future. Unfortunately, retrenchments and redundancies are happening all too frequently.
We are told we live in a world of progress and moving forward (yeah, right). I know that this masthead, along with local radio stations, will continue to deliver the quality and detailed local news that the community so richly deserves.
The axing of NBN television's weekend 6pm broadcast by the WIN network has wider implications. I have experienced this model of a pre-recorded 5:30pm "local news" in other regions of NSW.
The pre-recording reduces news to a historical documentary of largely insignificant events. This is not news. It loses currency and simply dumbs down what ought to be serious journalism and audience viewing.
Thank you, NBN news staff, for making the weekend broadcasts informative and interesting over the years.
My understanding is the restructure of NBN news employees by WIN has involved a musical-chairs approach, involving employees invited to apply for their own jobs to fit the new structure. I feel for them, as this is a psychologically-damaging exercise. Why can't they just make some redundant rather than prolong the stress? This approach is unnecessary and I believe ought to be unlawful, but then I have not been a fan of industrial relations law over the past 30 years. Good luck, WIN network, because I for one will be viewing elsewhere.
The ABC should just admit it doesn't do comedy very well and just give up.
Being an Aussie Rules fan I was interested in checking out the new, prime-time show Ground Up. It's a spoof on efforts to establish an AFL team in Tasmania. The first episode was all right, plenty of new laughs. But by last Sunday night it had morphed into crudity and 30 minutes of dad jokes. I am sure there are enough talented folks at the ABC to do better, even with budget limitations. But I suggest after the latest, dreadful effort, you stick to what you do best. Documentaries and in-depth investigative journalism.
We received our electricity bill today. It was actually a notification, informing us that our rates are increasing as of July 1 and the buy-back rate per kilowatt hour from our solar to the grid is being reduced. Yet this government tells us they are working hard on reducing the cost of living, and then the ads come on TV to encourage people to install solar panels and storage batteries.
If that isn't a typical example of being hypocritical, then I don't know what is. How about they demolish another coal fired power station? They should give this leader of ours the nickname Pinocchio, as I believe his nose is growing every time he tells a lie. What's next, we wonder?
